Tears on a Dull Blade
by Silversouls
Summary: The marines' most dangerous and inhumane 'project' now runs free- a fearsome woman known as 'Amai' Mika. In an unending struggle to protect her identity, Mika stumbles upon our beloved Strawhats. Two roads diverged on a pirate ship- will she take the one less traveled by? Please Review! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, Hi guys, and welcome to my newest fanfiction!:D I might change the rating later because of language or stuff, but for now it's a T. **

**Anyway, I am a fairly new writer and all advice and comments are very appreciated. ****Also, as you know, we authors live on reviews, so any reviews are very appreciated!(=**

**Umm, I'm actually quite grateful to anyone that reads this to begin with. Thanks guys!;P**

**Oki, that's it, ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 1- It's ADVENTURE TIME!**

"Darn in." she cussed, running as fast as she could, avoiding the knives thrown at her by her pursuers. She acknowledged the fact that she deserved to be cut by every single one of the flying knives, but she was neither honest nor kind enough to give up her life purely for the sake of justice.

She's been through a lot in her 19 years of life, more than most people go through in their entire life span.

She never pitied herself, though. She knew that every single bad thing that happened to her until now led her to where she was now- she was happy, and pleased with how her life turned out. She had friends all over the Grand Line and they never failed to help her when she needed it. She felt safe.

Right now, she was wreaking havoc in a nameless island not far from Dressrosa, an island mostly used by doctors as a source of medical supplies. The island was famous for the rare medicinal herbs growing on it at unofficially gained the name "Healia".

Mika had been on this island for merely an hour and she already got into trouble with the world's nobles. How nice. Luckily, she made the filthy noble "fall asleep" before he could summon a buster call. Right now she was running from a 'random' pack of bandits whose gold she had claimed as her own- a humble amount really, but she found something she liked in there so she decided to go for the whole sack.

The bandits chasing her were weaklings- they couldn't even scratch her with the knives as long as she used **observation** haki. She wasn't even tired and they were already slowing down. A glance from the corner of her eye taught her of the tiny alley on her left and she immediately turned into it.

"Ouch!" she hissed as she bumped into something rock-hard. Later, she'd learn that it was a certain someone's chest. The force of the collision sent her flying to the ground, but the person she crashed into remained standing, only his precious bottle of sake crashed on the ground.

"Oi, woman," he said angrily, pointing at the broken bottle of sake. By the time she stood up, the bandits blocked the entrance to the alley and the large man was blocking the other. She would've asked him to move so they could run, but he didn't look like the kind of person who'd run from anything, and definitely not from a battle.

"Can I borrow a sword?" she asked innocently, looking at the three katanas decorating his hip.

"No." he replied as he watched her pursuers close in on her, laughing evilly.

"You will regret declining our offer, woman. I am a wanted man, you know," the leader chuckled disgustingly, his thick, black mustache shaking as he did so. Mika felt sick as she smelled the man's awful breath.

"Gimme a sec," she muttered as she pulled out a spray can and closed the messenger bag she was carrying. She opened the can and spread the scent of lavender all over the angry men. She didn't like the smell, but doing what she just did was absolutely necessary.

The men were not pleased (oh, what a surprise!). Mika chuckled as they charged, the man still standing behind her, uninterested.

"Don't die, Onna*. You owe me a bottle of sake. "He ordered. (*Onna=woman)

"Okay _mom_... "She muttered. The man ignored her comment and she used this opportunity to attack the bandits. First, she navigated her way through them to jump over them when she was just in the middle of the group, and kicked two bandits in their faces. She quickly and skillfully untied the large axe on her back and smashed the skull of the closest bandit. As you can probably tell, Mika was absolutely pissed off. No man has dared offer to buy her before- the bandit gang's leader was the only one weak and stupid enough to ignore her deadly aura.

She only stole their gold as a revenge- she wanted an excuse to destroy them. This bandit gang was famous for barging into houses and raping women right in front of their fathers and husbands. The reason she came to this island to begin with was simply to wipe out that gang. She was prepared for the worst, but it seemed that all the men were weaklings, so she had nothing to fear. She had slain all men but two when suddenly she noticed a deadly presence among them. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was not quick enough to block the attack, so she focused on using her devil's fruit to protect herself.

'What a careless mistake', she thought, but the attack never came. The bandit was blocked by no other than the man she bumped into.

"Roronoa Zoro," the bandit hissed. "A pirate hunter turned pirate. What an interesting turn of events."

"You're a swordsman. Fight me." The bandit ordered. Zoro, in his turn, sheathed his sword and said: "Come".

The bandit laughed and launched his attack, two swords in hand. Zoro easily avoided both swords, took one out of the bandit's swords and cut his chest with a single, clean hit.

"You're covered by blood," Zoro concluded when Mika was done sorting the bodies in a pile. As she heard his comment, she put up her hand and moved it past her face- all the blood was gathered into her hand, flying just a little bit above it. She threw the blood at the wall and it made a **splash** sound. She did the same with her clothes, the bag, and the sack of gold that was lying on the ground while she fought. She finished by cleaning her purple hair that was held up by a single hairband, her bangs falling on her right eye softly, not blocking her sight.

"A devil's fruit?" Zoro asked when she was done, not surprised by her actions.

"No," she replied. _That _surprised him. She chuckled. "Come, I owe you a bottle of sake for helping me. " She said as she walked out of the alley towards the nearest source of sake. Zoro protested: "No, you owe me a bottle of sake for breaking mine. "

"Come on, do you really think I didn't notice that it was nearly empty?" She snorted.

The swordsman ignored her comment and followed her into the restaurant she picked. She ordered two bottles of sake and a snack while the man picked a chair by the bar. She paid using the stolen gold, of course. She sat down near the swordsman with their goodies, and the first question he asked was: "What's up with the aura?"

"I don't like weaklings coming up to talk to me," she replied. She often spread out a murderous aura like the one she was spreading right now when she wanted to avoid the company of normal people. "You're doing the same," she commented.

"I'm pretty sure my bounty's doing it for me." He snorted.

"Well, for some reason people already forgot about mine," she laughed. "Yours is 120, right? It should be more. Luffy's got a raise after the War of the Best, but because you guys weren't there yours wasn't affected… I'm pretty sure it'll be raised soon after what you did to Doflamingo." She chuckled and took a sip of her sake. "Come to think of it," she continued, "Are you guys stupid? How come you're still so close to Dressrosa after what you've done? "

"Our doctor needed to get some stuff here." Zoro replied, taking another sip of the sake. What's up with this girl? She didn't feel intimidated by him at all. Also, she claimed to not have eaten a Devil's Fruit, so how come she had these strange powers?

The shit-cook often called him a musclehead, but he was no doubt smart enough to tell that the woman won't tell him anything even if he asked. Despite her smiles and jokes, all Zoro could see in her eyes was stress and sorrow. He confessed that he couldn't navigate himself through a town even if his life depended on it, but he did have other talents- he could read people easily. He acknowledged the woman's skill in hiding her emotions- he couldn't tell what she was thinking at all; all he knew was that her smiles were all fake, smiles generated and formed carefully to please other people. Her mask was of such high quality that at first he even thought that she believed her own lies.

But no, she didn't. He understood it now.

He didn't care enough to say anything, though. The woman was just treating him to sake and some snack- he'd probably never see her again.

Or so he thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said. "I need to speak with your captain and your cook. "She added as if it was no big deal.

"Oi oi, where the hell did that come from? "He said as he smashed the bottle of sake on the table (unintentionally, of course. Zoro is such a nice guy, isn't he?).

"I have a message from an old friend. "She explained, unfazed.

"Why the hell should I take you to my captain? "He pointed out. "You could be a bounty hunter. I know that what you did back in the alley wasn't even half your strength. How do you carry an axe this heavy, anyway?" he snorted. Mika sighed, this man was making it so hard…

"Don't change the subject!" She exclaimed. "Do you doubt your captain's strength? **I** certainly don't." She replied, Zoro took a moment to think about what she said. Was he doubting Luffy? True, the man was slightly injured in his battle against Doflamingo, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop that **beast**. Luffy _definitely_ improved more than any other member of the crew in the two years when they were separated- well, of course, he _was_ trained by Rayleigh after all.

"No. I don't. "He replied, determined. He joined his captain in his battles because there was no man he respected more than Luffy. How could he doubt the strength of this monster?

"Good," she smiled that fake smile again, her eyes remaining slightly sad. "Tell me where you docked, I'll help you get there. "She suggested.

He nodded, slightly annoyed, and together they walked to the east harbor. Of course, Luffy was already chased around by the marines and the crew silently hoped that Zoro will come back soon so they could set sail. Sanji was just going out to search for him when he and Mika arrived at the docks.

"Stupid marimo! Come here!" he yelled, expressing the seriousness of the situation. "Get on!" he ordered him. Surprisingly, Zoro didn't object until he was safely on the Thousand Sunny.

"Love-cook, don't order me around," he said, his eyes piercing Sanji's. The crew set sail, not aware of Mika's presence, and the girl spoke just a moment before a fight between the two beasts broke out.

"San-chan~" she sang. Sanji immediately looked away from the swordsman, dropping his gaze to the shorter woman.

"Mi… Mika-chan?!" he went around the green-haired man towards her as quickly as he could. The crew noticed her presence now, but all of them kept their questions to themselves when they saw the look in Sanji's eyes- even Luffy decided to remain silent.

"Mika-chan… how come you're in the New World…?" he didn't try to force himself on her, unlike how he behaved with all other women. Actually, he would've done so had he not been so shocked.

"It's been a while, San-chan. How come you remember me? "She chuckled. Actually, she didn't expect the cook to recognize her and planned her stay on the Sunny that way. It's been nearly nine years since the last time they met- she stayed on the Baratie for a while when she was 10. Sanji was 12 at the time, and being the closest in ages they became close friends. The blonde even declared that the purple-haired, grey-eyed girl was his sister and anyone who brings her harm will suffer greatly. Mika left barely a year afterwards, and was captured by the marines. She had to hide for two years after escaping from their grasp waiting for the commotion around her name to be silenced again. Her protector, the man who hid her in the Baratie to begin with, found her on the deserted island and taught her all he knew. The world decided that she was a goner, but Sanji never stopped believing that she was safe.

"How could I forget you?" he replied. "I've never met a girl with hair this color other than you, Mika-chan." He took her hand and pressured it. "I'm glad you're okay."

* * *

"So, you guys are childhood friends?" Luffy asked curiously as Mika took a bite of the meal the cook made for her. Sanji was busy flirting with the other two beauties on the ship, but they ignored him and listened to Mika. Mika was glad to see that Sanji was back to normal. She smiled as she replied: "Yeah, sort of. I know all your names, but I never introduced myself. I'm Mika,"

"A pleasure to meet you, Mika-san. "Brook bowed. While still bowing, he asked the most expected question: "May I see your panties?" **smack.** "THAT'S NOT HOW YOU TREAT A GUEST!" Nami's rage face appeared as she hit him. Brook laughed in his own weird way and Mika joined him. Nami forced the skeleton to apologize and suggested that Mika hit him when he spoke that way to her without hesitating.

"**'Amai'** Mika, was it?" Robin's comment made the younger girl freeze. Robin, realizing that she hit a vulnerable spot, looked at Sanji. The man stopped moving and looked at Mika intensely. The crew's captain didn't notice the atmosphere that suddenly found its way to the ship and continued: "Amai? Are you tasty?" Luffy asked curiously. (*Amai=sweet)

Zoro took advantage of his captain's stupidity to try and save the conversation (for reasons unknown to him):"There's nothing 'sweet' about her. You should've seen what she did to a bunch of bandits chasing her. That axe of hers isn't just for show," he snorted.

"Oh? You can fight?" this peaked Franky's curiosity. The girl was relatively muscular for her short height (5'3, maybe a bit more, he couldn't tell. Around 160cm), but she was still very light compared to the men on the Thousand Sunny- even Luffy.

"Yeah. I had quite a good teacher, too." She was relieved that the conversation changed the topic, and Sanji was breathing normally again. Zoro didn't miss the sideways glance they shared and the emotions in it.

He was going to find out who that girl was from Robin later, he decided. For some reason he was curious enough to do so. Something about the girl bothered him, and he didn't understand how her powers worked if it wasn't a devil's fruit.

"Oi Mika, didn't you have a message for Luffy, too? Up until now you've only told Sanji that you were safe…"

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed and face-palmed. "I totally forgot!" she rushed towards her bag and pulled out a scroll and another object.

"San-chan, I have a message from Iva-chan. "

"Oh! You know Iva-chan?" Luffy exclaimed excitedly while Sanji's face turned as white as snow. "Don't worry, it's nothing of this sort, "Mika laughed as she handed him the scroll. "It's an exercise that will improve your control over the haki you infuse into your legs," Sanji took the scroll and nodded gratefully, still pale after remembering his experiences in Ivankov's Queendom.

"For you, Luffy, Ivankov only delivered a message: your father will appear before you soon."

"I don't care. It was Jii-chan who raised me, that Dragon guy is a stranger for me right now," Ouch, that was harsh. She didn't expect that from the Strawhat-boy. She nodded and delivered the last package to Luffy: a den den mushi, a phone number and a note requesting that he calls the sender once in a while. "It's from Hancock, "Mika explained.

"Ah, I see, "The confused Luffy replied and nodded. Who else if not Hancock? Mika giggled.

The crew decided that Mika would stay with the girls for the night, and when Mika fell asleep Robin went out of the room to speak to Zoro, as he requested.

"Swordsman-san," she greeted.

"Robin," he nodded. "Who is that girl?" he decided to get straight to the point.

"She's like me- a girl targeted from a very young age… she is a very powerful woman. She has friends everywhere and she's been avoiding the marines for nearly twelve years now, "Robin explained. "I won't tell you why she is wanted- it's up to her to decide if she wants to share this information or not. It's quite personal, same as my story," She looked down as she realized that Zoro was listening to her very patiently, unfazed and very curious, she smiled. "She disappeared when she was seven, reappeared four years later at the Baratie, after staying with the owner, Zeff for nearly a year. That's probably how she met cook-san." She concluded.

Zoro waited patiently for more.

"She disappeared when she ran away from the marines and had been reappearing all around the new world ever since, hunting outlaws yet never going for their bounties- she refused to accept the marines' gold, knowing that if her identity was found out she'd be chased by them. "Robin paused for a moment, "She was famous for stealing gold from her targets," Robin finished, and Zoro realized that if he wanted any more information he'd have to ask Mika in person. He couldn't trust a woman like her, he concluded. It was necessary to know her better. Or was he just curious about her?

Robin returned to the room to face a wide-awake Mika. "Thank you for not telling him…" Mika shifted her gaze to her left as she said these words. She listened to the conversation eagerly, waiting for Robin to give up unnecessary information, ready to jump and stop her from telling the swordsman.

The woman never did.

"You're welcome, "Robin smiled as she went to sleep.

Mika couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**Yippe! Done with the first chapter! I'm so proud of myself!Q_Q  
****Ano, thx for reading, love you guys! I'll love you _even more_ if you review!^~^  
****See ya next time!(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially no longer a freshman!**

**Yippie!**

**Umm, my exams are not over yet and they'll only end on July 10th, so you guys are gonna wait a while before I'll start working on this story seriously.**

**I don't have a beta-reader, so I'll probably have loads of mistakes- I apologize in advance :|**

**Please review!:D**

Chapter 2

The Thousand Sunny was under attack the moment the sun has shown itself. Three marine ships that strayed off their original paths due to extreme weather found their way to the Strawhats' ship, purely out of luck. The ships prepared themselves for battle as they shot two warning shots each, waking up the crew. Usopp and Chopper were screaming, frightened; Luffy was singing about adventures with Brook accompanying him; Franky was holding the steering wheel with Nami barking orders behind him; Sanji was making breakfast as if nothing was happening and Zoro was still sound asleep. The crew were discussing their strategy for the upcoming battle, and Mika decided to interrupt them: "I'll go." She suggested, calm.

"No, Mika-chan, I couldn't possibly let a lady walk into danger on her own and live with myself afterwards-"

"You can come watch over me, if you insist," She knew he could use haki to run on the air without putting any efforts into it. "I just want to repay you guys for taking care of me. I hate being a freeloader," she explained.

The crew agreed.

The truth behind Mika's volunteering was quite different- she had finally decided that she trusted the Strawhats enough to show them her abilities. She never meant to explain those abilities, though- it would put them in unnecessary danger.

She wanted to tell the crew about her powers, but she didn't know where to start. That's why she decided to start by showing them her abilities in combat.

Sanji was the first to set out towards the largest marine ship- a ship thrice Sunny's size. It probably had a powerful captain on board, so she decided to finish the two smaller ships as fast as possible. She turned her lower limbs into steam, followed by the crew's surprised gasps. She quickly set out flying towards the smallest galley to avoid the crew's questions, and the moment she reached it she sat down in the crow's nest, a short distance from a frightened marine. "Yo," she said as she set a cloud of steam into his nose, same as she did with the celestial dragon, choking him and making him faint. She focused her **observation** haki on finding the room in which the fuel was located. When she found it, she quickly ran towards it, knocking all the marines in her way. She focused her powers on the squishy liquid, and used her least favorite skill: "**Jōki* Jōki no mi: Hayameru**!**" (*Steam; **Accelerate ;) She shouted the skill's name as she forced the molecules of black liquid to gain speed and bump into each other, producing a fire. She quickly left the ship to avoid damage- after all, she was steam, not fire.

The next ship was much easier to destroy- the crew panicked as they watched their sister ship being reduced to ashes, and she had less difficulty reaching the fuel storage and doing the same thing. In fact, she could simply drown both ships, but if she did she'd be exposing her identity.

She might've been the notorious Amai Mika, but she was more. Most marines didn't know of the connection between Amai Mika and Project 72.

She wanted to make sure things stayed this way.

When she made her way towards the third ship, less than three minutes since the moment the left the Thousand Sunny, most of the marines were already beaten up. "San-chan, you've gotten better," Mika complimented her companion. The cook's eyes turned into little hearts as he started dancing around her. "Ah~ thank you, Mika-chwan!"

She could tell that unlike the reasons he treated Robin and Nami that way, he was only flirting with her out of courtesy.

"San-chan, we're alone. No need to treat me like a lady now. "She commented. The cook's features relaxed and he gave her a genuine smile. "You haven't changed at all…" it wasn't the first time he said these words to her, but with every time he did she took it more as a compliment and less as an offence. The blonde truly cherished her, she realized. She was his beloved little sister. All he wanted to do right now was to make sure she was safe.

She smiled back as she browsed the ship for a powerful opponents. All she could see was a crown of marines surrounding them. That was the moment she realized she forgot her axe on the ship. Sanji noticed it, too. "Want me to take care of them?" he suggested kindly.

"Don't underestimate me," she warned him. The cook only chuckled in response as he put a cigarette between his thin lips and the lighter followed.

"When did you start smoking?" she asked curiously, unfazed.

"A while ago."

She chuckled. The two were standing back to back, supporting each other.

"Ready? "She asked.

"Set-"he answered.

"Go!" they exclaimed together as they started destroying the surrounding marines. Sanji used his feet, the same way he always did, and Mika avoided using her powers- she attacked using only haki and her combat skills. That is, until she stole a sword from a marine, which made the fight much easier, for it has extended her range.

Both fighters received the information that the high-rank officer supervising over this ship was crushed by Blackbeard nearly a few days ago, so they only focused on crushing the small fry.

When they were done, they stated their scores: "42" Sanji was certain he won. The competition was on with neither of them having to declare it- they knew each other too well.

Mika smiled as she replied: "42"

"Unbelievable," he laughed. It always happened to them- they were too evenly matched. Even when they weren't even, the difference in score was never more than two men.

They returned to the ship, unfazed.

"That was so cool, Mika!" Nami exclaimed as she ran up to her and gave her a short hug.

"I knew you had devil's fruit powers," Zoro muttered.

She looked at him, grinning evilly. "I never said I didn't have devil's fruit powers- I only said I never ate a devil's fruit." She liked the idea of messing with the swordsman. He was on the verge of facepalming when Brook cut him off- "Where did you get these powers, then? "He asked.

Mika didn't think it over. "You will know in time," she muttered, avoiding the question.

Luffy was the only one who didn't comment on her performance.

* * *

"Ne, Mika, I've decided." Luffy was sitting in his special seat, crossed legged, watching the ocean silently for nearly an hour. The crew appreciated the silence once in a while so they didn't bother disturbing the captain, but they all waited for him to discuss his thoughts with them.

Mika has been a guest on the Thousand Sunny for nearly a week now, and the crew never ceased to amaze her- each day they had a different drama going on, and she found herself suffering stomachaches from laughing too much.

The crew treated her kindly, patiently, tying the strings of friendship between her and them slowly. She could tell that the Strawhats were used to the company of people like her, and they seemed to understand her feelings relatively well. None of them asked about her past, and she appreciated it so much that she couldn't express it with words.

Either way, when the captain gathered the crew to announce the decision, they were all waiting patiently for his words- somehow they felt as if he had something important to say.

The crew was even slightly tense. Even the usually carefree Franky decided to take his captain seriously this time.

"Mika, "he spoke. Mika braced herself for his words, prepared for the worst. The atmosphere of the crew has affected her. "Join my crew." The captain ordered.

Mika fell of the chair she was sitting on, shocked. The rest of the crew didn't react the same way she did- they weren't surprised in the least.

"Oi, Luffy, why did we all have to hear this?" Zoro complained.

"Yeah! You could've asked her in private." Nami added.

"I agree, "Brook nodded.

Mika looked at them surprised. "How come you guys are not surprised? " She didn't think their captain was the type to invite anyone into the crew- after all, the crew was fairly small and humble. It was a gathering of the best.

"Well, you've fought with us," Nami explained. "And Luffy likes you. It's obvious that he'd make you part of the crew."

"I-is it?" Mika muttered. The crew was silent, especially Luffy, as they waited for her reply.

She turned her face away, sad. "I can't."

* * *

"No chance," Zoro and Nami replied at the same time.

"Huh?" Mika questioned.

"The moment Luffy decides you're in his crew, there's no going back," Sanji explained as he fussed around robin offering her a milkshake.

"Sanji, you know I can't" Having been called by his full name made her look at Mika, stressed.

He looked away.

"Why do you think you can't?" Luffy stressed the word 'think', explaining that she was wrong.

"If you are associated with me, you'll be in danger." She stood up. "I should've left sooner…" she muttered.

"Mika-san, we're pirates. We can handle it." Brook interfered.

"No, you can't. There are powerful people after me…" She said.

"Why won't you tell us and let us decide?" The green-haired swordsman suggested.

"Yeah," Franky agreed, pointing his large hand at Zoro. "What this guy said."

"I can't, "She was on the verge of breaking down no, her voice weak and fragile. "Giving you this information is more than enough to make you threats…"

"That bad?" Chopper asked.

"That bad," Robin confirmed. "Bur Mika-san, you should tell them."

"Robin! You _know_ how dangerous it'll be for them."

"It's okay." Robin assured her.

"I-I have the I-can't-hear-that-story disease… "Usopp stood up.

"Sit down," Franky and Brook pushed the liar back into his seat.

"I'm listening." The captain's eyes were serious. That's why despite his carefreeness the crew trusted the man- he was dependable when the situation called for it.

Mika looked at every crewmate separately to confirm that they wanted to put themselves into even more danger than what they were exposed to right now. Even Usopp looked determined. After a ling minute of silence, Mika spoke.

"I ate the **Jōki Jōki no mi**. I am a steam-woman." She decided to start telling the story from the middle. "The **Jōki Jōki **fruit is not a devil's fruit. It's a fruit produced using the substance you know by the name SAD." A few gasps followed, but the loudest was Nami's. Her eyes grew wide as she heard these words. Robin, on the other hands, knew what information followed and braced herself for the impact.

"The substance was originally the navy's project. They… they locked up children of notorious criminals, and… they experimented on us." Sanji was the one to interrupt her story this time- he stood up sharply, dropping his chair, and muttered something about making lunch.

"Oi! Love-cook!" Zoro yelled after him.

"Don't mind him," Robin said, "He's heard this story before. No man deserves to hear this story twice."

Zoro ignored her and said nothing more.

Mika continued.

"I was brought there when I was four. I've made loads of friends, but they all died when the SAD-made fruits were injected into them."

"I was the only one who survived," She mumbled. "I was seven. I was smart for a kid my age so I feigned my death, not willing to be tortured any longer. The moment a scientist approached me to check if I was alive, I killed him."

* * *

_The little girl went on a rampage. After manipulating steam to cut the throat of the man, she did the same with anyone who approached her._

_She was new to these powers, so the only skill she could use was this one- hardening the steam and making a thin yet dense blade that could cut human flesh. By the time she was out of the room she was caged in, she was covered in blood. A man with a sword approached her, and she knew it was over- she had no way to block his attack. She saw her short life going right past her, her miserable empty life. All she could remember was the beatings she received when she cried over the bodies of her dead friends, sometimes bodies that were more monstrous than not- the things the SAD fruits made them into were horrifying._

_The marine's sword landed on her shoulder, but it passed right through it- she was alive. She heard of it- it was a logia type of fruit, she concluded. She could turn her whole body to steam. She cut the man's throat and continued her search for the exit. _

_After nearly an hour of being chased around the building, she found a huge tube with the letters SAD scribbled on it. The marines ordered her to stop, but she didn't- she destroyed the tube, and every single document regarding it._

_Or so she thought._

_Either way, the SAD factory was done for. The scientists soon destroyed the building to hide the evidence, but Mika couldn't care less- her friends were already dead. No one could bring them back…_

* * *

"I had no idea what I was going to do next, "she looked down, avoiding the captain's eyes. "A certain marine was the first to find me. I was hardly human when he did- a dead shell. I couldn't even speak when he asked for my name." she chuckled.

"He took me in. he had no idea how I got my 67 mil bounty, but he was familiar enough with the corruption of the navy to know that I didn't deserve it." Mika's hear warmed up as she thought of the man. "He fed me, dressed me and helped me return to my normal self. His name is Ku-chan. He's like a father to me." She was smiling now. "He was a good marine. Kind and honest. A pure man."

"His devil's fruit abilities were a lot like mine, so he taught me how I should protect myself. He didn't teach me anything about haki, though. He sent me to Zeff's when I was ten. That's where I met San-chan."

"This Ku guy is a friend of the old man? " Luffy asked.

"You could say that," Mika chuckled.

"Why did you leave? "

"The navy found me. Escaping from them was easy, of course, but I didn't want to trouble the guys on the Baratie any longer. I set off to find Ku-chan."

"I did. He trained me, taught me how to use haki and hid me for a year. I was found out then, so we kept moving all over the grand line ever since. "

"He left when I was fifteen, four years ago, saying I was strong enough to protect myself now. I was on my own ever since. "

Mika reached the main point now. "The thing is, Akainu discovered my existence last year. My bounty was raised to 450 mil beli-" Mika snuck a look at Nami to make sure the girl didn't get any weird ideas-"and I was chased by high-rank marines ever since."

"I really like you guys and I don't want to get you involved," she finished.

"I won't ask 'is that it?', because that's one hell of a story." Zoro commented when she was done, "but having you on our crew might work out pretty well, huh Luffy?"

The captain's eyes were burning with hatred. "Yeah. "

"We happen to hold a grudge against Akainu," Nami explained coldly.

"But-"

"No buts," Luffy was nearly back to his usual cheerful self. "I want you on my crew even more now. You're strong, and you're a good person."

"Didn't you hear what I said? You will-"

"We will be just fine." Zoro cut her off. "Just say yes already!"

Mika looked at the Strawhats, shocked. She didn't expect them to want her in their crew after hearing that. She could sense the fear radiating from Usopp, Chopper and Nami, but even they refused to show it on their faces. All they showed her was a relaxing smile.

"Come on," Nami poked her hand. "We'll handle it."

"You're my nakama now, "Luffy was finally smiling, "I will definitely protect you!"

Mika looked at him.

She nodded.

**Hi again!:P**

**I promise I'll get the pairing going soon enough, I just have to set things straight first, don't I? What do you think of Mika so far? What do you think of her past? Please tell me!: **

**I have no hopes of making this story better if you don't, you know!:|**

**Anyway, thank you soooo much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I'm late! In my defense, I was sent off to the north of the country because it's safer there :P  
****Just got back home... Anyway, if you enjoyed reading this, please review. one word is more than enough (=**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

They've been on Flower Island for less than a day and they already had loads of marines chasing them.

"LUFFY, YOU IDIOT!" Nami's fist landed in Luffy's forehead, sending his head flying to the other side of the ship, his devil's fruit protecting him from taking any damage.

Nami was a dangerous woman- all the residents of the Thousand Sunny acknowledged this fact soon after joining the crew, and Mika wasn't any different.

Nami was still scolding Luffy for approaching Smoker when he spotted him in a restaurant "because he wanted to say 'Hi'". Mika burst out laughing when she heard this excuse, but she never stopped creating tiny steam clouds to lift the supplies they gathered from the grass on dock their ship resided in onto the Thousand Sunny.

Yes, **their** ship. She was one of them now, wasn't she? Luffy declared that she was his nakama, and it seems that the subject never needed to be discussed- the moment Luffy decides you're on his crew, you're done for.

Luffy took quite a while to decide what role Mika would be taking on board of the Thousand Sunny, and finally came to a conclusion after four days: "A spy." He declared. "You're really quiet and you can hide your presence so well that it's hard to sense it even when I'm using **observation** haki."

"Actually, I just surround myself with steam, and since you're a devil's fruit user-"

"-Don't bother," Nami cut her off. "He wouldn't understand even if you told him a million times," Nami, being a weather specialist, discovered the nature of that skill on her own- Mika simply covered her body by a thin layer of steam at all times, successfully avoiding any unpleasant interaction with the haki of devil's fruit users. Nami was impressed by how simple the technique was and decided to experiment on Mika later.

"Yeah, I don't really care how it works anyway," Luffy added, picking is nose with his pinky, imitating his grandfather, Garp. "You don't mind being a spy, right?" Luffy double-checked.

"I was afraid you'd make me an assassin, Captain. I am more that pleased with this role, thank you." She chuckled. She called Luffy 'Captain' once in a while because she still couldn't get used to the comfortable atmosphere on the ship.

A pirate ship isn't supposed to be like that! A Captain must be on a whole different level from his crewmates on the social scale. He should only be close to his first and second mates and leave the rest for them to handle.

Maybe it was the fact that the crew was so small that created this intimacy- Mika didn't mind either way; she just enjoyed her stay on the Sunny and hoped it would last forever.

* * *

"Franky!" Nami yelled frantically.

"**Coup De Burst**!" The shipwright yelled, not hesitating.

On a bright day that seemed to be absolutely perfect, the Strawhats were spotted by a certain **Hie Hie no Mi** user. Actually, they might've considered encountering him if it wasn't for Luffy.

The Strawhat Captain challenged Aokiji in the past, and he would've fought him gladly had he not been too sick to stand. Apparently, Luffy's immune system wasn't as powerful as everyone thought it was- the island they recently emerged from, Flower Island, was apparently the natural habitant of a certain spider- the Flowerweb.

The crew's doctor was not worried that his captain might be killed by the spider's deadly poison, but rather about the eggs the spider left in cut it made on his finger.

The captain was not well, and the crew's morale was very low. Aokiji's appearance was very unfortunate, to say the least. Zoro and Mika were napping, not paying attention to their surroundings while Chopper increased the speed of his treatment. Luffy was fully conscious now, having the sedatives in the poison cleaned away by Chopper's medicine, but he was still in no condition to fight- especially not someone as powerful as Aokiji.

Mika and Zoro were forced to wake up when the massive energy wave from the **Coup De Burst **got to them, and were soon informed of the seriousness of the situation.

"How much time does the **Coup De Burst **buy?" Mika, who has never encountered any of Franky's skills before, didn't know how powerful the burst was.

"With Aokiji's speed, no more than ten minutes." Nami replied as she ran forward, aiming for the crow's nest.

"Aokiji? Former marine admiral, Aokiji?" Mika's eyes widened. Could this really be happening?

"The one and only, "This time, the one to reply was Franky. Mika nodded and shifted her gaze to look at Sanji. 'Did I ever tell him?' she wondered. 'No. I definitely haven't.'

The crew was running around frantically, searching for their weapons. Luffy was struggling to get up as the doctor pushed him down harshly, telling him that he could not afford a battle right now. Sanji was nowhere to be found and Zoro was sitting calmly somewhere where he couldn't be seen by anyone other than Mika.

"How come you're so calm? We both know that Aokiji isn't half bad." She asked curiously. She couldn't imagine the swordsman experiencing fear, but the man didn't show any negative emotions **at all**. Now that she was sitting so close to him, Mika could easily tell that the man was far from calm- rather, he was itching for a good fight, bloodlust radiating from his eyes the same way light was radiated from the sun. Mika smiled and stood back up when she realized the man's reply did not need to be spoken out loud.

"I see, "she smiled. "Well then, I'll be going first." The last thing she saw before grabbing her axe and flying off the Thousand Sunny was a slightly surprised expression on the swordsman's face. "Oi, wait, are you stupid!" he yelled at her, getting up. The rest of the crew noticed where Mika was heading a few seconds later, but it was far too late to stop her then.

She was headed straight for the man riding a bicycle and leaving a thin layer of ice behind him. The former marine Admiral, Aokiji.

* * *

"What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do, what are we-"

"Calm down chopper, focus on treating Luffy." Nami barked at him.

"Sanji, you should go back her up." Robin pointed out. Sanji disappeared in a flash, headed to where Mika was standing a very short distance from Kuzan. They were both so close to the ship that due to the lack of strong waves the crew could see them. Kuzan got off his bicycle and took a tiny step forward, freezing the whole area around them. Mika, in her turn, stopped using her powers and landed gently on the ice.

"Amai Mika, bounty 450 mil beli."

"Kuzan, former marine Admiral."

A short silence followed. Both individuals looked at the person in front of them, a stare so meaningful and deep that you couldn't define the emotions expressed there.

The two were standing so close to eachother that when Mika started running towards the man, the viewers on the Thousand Sunny thought she was attacking the man.

"Mika!" Nami yelled, horrified, but the other woman never heard her. The moment Mika was in Aokiji's range, she jumped and wrapped her hands around the tall man's neck. The man, in his turn, did the same with his arms, but instead of going for the neck he went for her lower back. The worried crew on the deck soon realized what was going on and some of their mouths dropped to the ground. Sanji was already close to them but he stopped, surprised, as he saw what was going on.

The man's chin was resting on Mika's shoulder, their arms around eachother in a loving embrace. Mika's feet were so far from the icy ground due to the man's extreme height, but she didn't feel any danger in the near future.

When the two finally broke away from eachother, the first to speak was the man.

"You've grown taller."

"It's been a few years."

"You're a pirate now? Everything you've done up till now was simply destroying threats that the marines failed."

"How rare- hearing you saying two sentences at once… And yes, I _am_ a pirate now. You know as well as I do that these guys are nothing like the usual scum travelling through these wasters. If the y stray off that path and I can't put them back on it, I will leave instantly."

"Are you sure they'll let you?"

"I've gotten stronger, Ku-chan. I can take all of 'em if I neutralize the devil's fruit users fast enough." She sat down on the ice and the man followed. Sanji was still frozen in his place, ant he two took advantage of this fact to continue their conversation the same way they used to four years ago.

"You've given this some thought."

"Of course I have. Same goes for when Ryan finds me. I definitely can't let them get hurt by him, especially Luffy."

"I understand. Either way, I've come today to honor my agreement with Strawhat Luffy. "

"You owe him a fight, don't you? Well, he's not in a condition to fight right now, though he _was_ fighting the doctor to get out here and 'kick your ass'" she laughed.

"I see. Since I'm no longer a marine anyway, I wouldn't mind letting him go one more time."

"Really?" Mika exclaimed happily. "Yes. But you should leave now, before they come here. "

"I know, I know." She smiled. "See you soon, Ku-chan."

"Stay safe, kid."

Just as she was going to head in Sanji's direction, she turned around to say one last thing. "Ku-chan?"

The man was already seated on his bicycle. "Hmm?"

"Your leg is fucking badass." With these words she turned away and left, missing the small smile that decorated the man's features.

* * *

"Kuzan is the one that took you in?!" Nami yelled, surprised. Aokiji was long gone by now and the crew was grateful that Mika managed to postpone this battle, but the newly discovered relationship was a top priority now.

"Yeah. He really is a good man, you know. He only follows his own justice and he doesn't do anything that is against his principals. He's true to himself and to his words, and he is the most respectable marine I have ever met."

The crew was silenced by this. They had nothing to say- all that Mika had just said was a list of undeniable facts.

"You could at least tell us that before you left. I thought you were suicidal." Nami sighed.

"What are you talking about? I don't think he could beat me so easily. "

"Mika, this guy is-"

"The guy who trained her. " Zoro interrupted. "You know his attack patterns and how to counter them, but most of your progress was made when he was away so you have a massive advantage, unless he figures you out too quickly."

Everyone but Mika stared at the supposed musclehead surprised. Mika was already familiar with the man's wisdom regarding reading other people, so she just smiled and nodded in agreement.

While the conversation continued and the crew slowly left the topic, the green haired man's gaze never left Mika's. Their eyes were connected by an invisible string, and they could read eachother as if they were one person. Mika saw the curiosity and interest the man's eyes, his eagerness to get to know her and get as close to her as he was to the rest of the crew. Mika was pleased with what she saw.

Zoro, on the other hand, was not. The beautiful tiny smile she flashed at him was still as fake as ever, and all he could see in her eyes was fear and a brick wall blocking the path into her soul. That was the moment when Zoro realized that what Mika told them about her past was just a small part of the story. She left so many details out and so many things unexplained, he was surprised that he didn't notice earlier.

The woman was hiding something big, something she actually couldn't tell the crew. Was that what she meant when she said that telling them would put them in danger? Did she intentionally leave out the important details to protect them? Zoro was definitely going to find out.

What bothered Zoro at the moment was not the brick wall- he'd cut through it later. Right now, he was much more bothered by the fear. He was the first mate and the captain was an idiot- who's responsibility is it if not his?

Such a troublesome woman… he sighed. 'Here goes nothing.'

* * *

"Okay guys, let's do it one last time." Nami sighed.

"Escorting Chopper and Mika to the forest, helping him collect his plants and shit, making sure Mika doesn't kill herself." Zoro said. Chopper nodded in agreement and Mika pouted in response.

"Watching the ship with Sanji." Usopp stated, Sanji wasn't paying attention and instead he was fussing over robin, but Nami knew very well that he heard what he had to do.

"I'm going on an adventure!" Luffy shouted out loud, jumping excitedly.

"I'm trying to keep him out of any serious trouble," Franky said, poking Luffy's head gently with the small hand coming out of his palm.

"I'm escorting Robin-san and Nami-san to the mall." Brook got up while saying these words.

"And carrying our stuff," Nami added.

"Will you be buying panties?"

**SMACK.**

Nami sighed. She was pleased with the obedience, though.

"Okay guys! Let's go!"

* * *

"This one?" Mika pointed her finger at a nearby plant.

"No, no, NO! Don't touch it, it's poisonous!" Chopper hit her hand to stop her from touching the plant. His high-pitched voice saying these words was very amusing.

"Thank you for warning me, doc." She replied, although she saw absolutely no difference between the leaves he picked and the ones she pointed at.

"Your gratefulness doesn't make me happy at all, you bitch~" The reindeer replied. Mika laughed in response.

"What's the difference between the poisonous ones and the ones we're looking for?" Mika asked curiously.

Zoro's bored gaze shifted from the ground to Mika. "Don't-"

"You see," Chopper started talking while Zoro facepalmed. "The poisonous ones have leaves that are a bit sharper than the ones we are looking for-"Around that point, Zoro stopped listening. Mika seemed interested in what Chopper was saying while Zoro literally couldn't care less. He silently followed the two walking figures while calmly looking at the woman.

He took advantage of the fact that she wasn't paying attention to him and slowly but thoroughly looked over her body for the first time. Her hair was once again up in a ponytail, the large curls falling out of the hairband like a waterfall of violet and silver light. He always had a thing for girls with short hair, but for some reason he liked hers, too. Her hair reached her mid-back where it bounced off with every step she took, and he found himself moving his gaze south. Her waist was thin and in the white summerdress she was wearing he could see the powerful muscles on her back. His gaze continued browsing her body as he reached her butt, yet it didn't stay long because it shifted to look over her long, elegant yet muscular legs. The moment she turned around to look at him and he was caught checking her out he filled out the missing details: Her pale skin, her stormy grey eyes, her breasts, that weren't as large as Nami's but were definitely rounder and more beautiful. Last but not least, he saw the pink blush on her cheeks as she realized where he was looking.

"WH-what are you doing?" she stuttered, embarrassed. Chopper was focused on gathering plants so he missed the whole ordeal.

"Huh? What do you want woman?" he looked up at her as if he wasn't doing anything just now, successfully tricking the girl in front of him and calming her down.

"Nevermind…"She mumbled. 'I could swear he was checking me out…' she thought, blushing deeper.

"What's wrong Mika? Your face is red," Chopper headed in her direction, his remark making her even more embarrassed.

"I-I'm okay. It's just a little hot in here," she exclaimed.

"Oh, okay." Chopper replied cheerfully and continued gathering the medical plants. Zoro and Mika continued walking behind him, relatively close to each other, yet there was nothing awkward there. Mika was simply enjoying the smells and sounds of the forest when she heard a familiar voice sing.

"**Mountains formed from layers of corpses,**

**One man walks between the piles,**" The song was just as familiar as the voice. All three Strawhats stopped to listen to the pleasant voice, but Mika's reason was different from the other two's.

"Please please please tell me this is a joke." She begged, prayed to whatever god was listening."

"**Crimson blood drips from his sword's hilt,**

**He stole all their lives.**"

"This can't be happening." Mika was almost sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Chopper asked, worried.

"Run!" She yelled at the other Strawhats as she started running herself. The swordsman was about to object, but he accidentally caught the look in Mika's eyes. The brick wall was down, reduced to rubble. For the first time in his entire life he saw a look as fearful as this. For the first time in his life he saw the woman show her emotions on her face.

For the first time in his life he saw Amai Mika run.

* * *

Zoro quickly followed the woman, and Chopper, seeing that the swordsman did as he was told, decided to follow as well. The three of them were running for a while now when Mika stopped.

"We meet inside the Sunny in half an hour. Chopper, can you take Zoro?"

"Oi! I can take care of myself." The swordsman said, angrily.

"Zoro, If you get lost and get yourself killed, what I'm going to do now is useless." She turned to look at Chopper. "If I'm not there in half an hour, leave as soon as you can. Do you understand?"

"I don't. " Zoro took a step towards her and was currently towering over her. "Why do we have to split?"

"He's after me. He won't harm you if you escape fast enough. Damn it, I shouldn't have gotten you involved, I'm so stupid…"

"How strong is he?" Zoro growled. He didn't like the fear decorating every feature of the beautiful girl. He wanted nothing more than to kick that guy's ass.

"He almost killed Ku-chan… when he was ten years old." This didn't move Zoro at all. He strived to become stronger and he wanted nothing more than to fight against the very best.

"I'll come with you. Chopper, go." Chopper hesitated before nodding and riding off into the forest.

"What are you doing, Zoro?!" Mika was on the verge of tears.

"**Stories told for years and ages,**

**Of a man as cold as ice. **

**Fought from men to crowds and armies**

**Broke through all their lies**"

"Come," Mika stopped objecting, took Zoro's hand and started running as fast as she could. When they started running with her she let go of his hand, and he noticed that her dress was a total wreck.

They ran for a while until they were close to the edge of the forest. They stopped when they heard the voice coming closer. Mika quickly covered herself and Zoro with a thin layer of steam, so Zoro assumed that the enemy was a devil's fruit user.

"Valerie… Valerie, my beloved…" Zoro heard the voice and reacted quicker than Mika. He pulled the girl closer to him and hid them behind a large tree. When Mika realized what was happening and automatically tried to scream, the larger man put his large palm on her mouth. She found herself seated between his legs with her back to his toned chest and a hand on her face. Had she not been this scared, she would've punched the man square in the face.

"Valerie!" He shouted, looking away. Mika took advantage of this fact and summoned a cloud made of steam to quickly carry them both out of the forest and into the Thousand Sunny.

"Is everyone on board?" Nami asked. She was going to question Chopper's eagerness to leave, but decided that the question could wait when she saw Valerie's face.

"Yosh. Let's go!" Luffy, still unaware of the recent events, yelled cheerfully. Mika didn't last long enough to see it, though. The moment she set foot on the ship, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

'Not again,' was her last thought. 'Please, not again.'

**Everything shall be explained, don't worry! I'll probably move the rank up to M, I hate not being able to curse :| Hope you enjoyed! Please review ^^**


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